Meet Kim, a Strategic Deployment Leader within Allstate’s Field Sales department in the North Central Region.

Q: Tell us about your Allstate story: When did you join Allstate? What is your current role, and have you always been in this role?

A: I started at Allstate in 1997 as an admin for five field directors and worked my way through various positions in the sales organization. During this time, I finished my degree and got my MBA through Allstate. In 2006, I transferred to the North Central regional office, and in 2008 I became a Field Sales Associate (FSA) and promoted to New Agent Leader (NAL) in 2010. I transitioned into a Growth Leader in 2018 until I was most recently promoted to Strategic Deployment Leader (SDL).

Q: What’s different about Allstate?

A: If you look around, the people you work with have been here for a long time. When I first started I thought I’d stay here for maybe 5 years, but the opportunities are endless, everyone takes pride in their work and the people are incredible. I never thought I’d be here for 22 years. It just happened because you like where you work, and you don’t want to leave, it’s the people that make you want to stay. It really is about the people, this job could be at any company, but Allstate is like family and everyone really cares about each other, takes pride in each other’s development and will help you achieve your goals.

Q: What are you most proud of?

A: Helping others realize their dreams. Whether it’s working with a potential agency owner to open their own office or mentoring another employee, I truly enjoy helping others. I’ve been very fortunate during my Allstate career to have folks supporting my career development and have had the opportunity to mentor others as well.

Q: What do you enjoy about mentoring, and specifically mentoring other women in sales?

A:Allstate really values women in sales leadership, and there’s a large initiative to bring more women into leadership positions within sales. I enjoy connecting with others. When I am mentoring, I really make sure I am being transparent about my experiences, how I’ve navigated leadership as a woman and a person with young children and work life balance. I try to help others see how they can have that balance while growing in their career.

Q: What qualities do people need to be successful here?

A: To me, its not about the technical skills, its more about the relationship building skills. Every day I am adapting to different personalities and need learn how they respond to my communication style.

Q: Any advice for someone who is considering working at Allstate?

A: My advice is to be adaptable to change because in sales we need to quickly adapt to new processes all the time. The other piece of advice I would offer is that you always need to be ethical and transparent, willing to be open and willing to share your successes and failures with your team and agents you work with.

Q: Outside of work, what you can be found doing?

A: I love spending time with my family. I have a daughter who is 9, and son who is 5 and they keep me very busy! I like to travel and read when I have free time. Last year I was fortunate enough to travel a lot with Allstate. I traveled to Ireland and Scotland!

Meet Scott, Field Sales Associate in the Midwest Region.

Q: What is your current role and what does the role entail?

A: My role, Field Sales Associate (FSA), is essentially a Field Sales Leader (FSL) in training. I am training to lead a market of exclusive agents for Allstate. Depending on where you are in the country, FSLs lead 30-40 agents whose business results are your own business results. When your market’s agents succeed, you succeed.

As an FSA, I am going through the four phases of training to become an FSL. The phases include licensing and education, selling in an agency, recruiting future Allstate agents, and the mini-market phase. Once you’ve shown you’re an expert, you are able to jump in and once there’s an open market, I can apply to become a FSL.

Q: What drew you to sales? What do you like about it?

A: I never thought I would be a “typical sales guy”, but I was working at our regional office in Colorado as a marketing and education consultant where I worked working closely with agents. I realized my passion was supporting small business owners. I wanted my next career step to be supporting them on the frontline.

Q: What’s different about Allstate?

A: Allstate cares so much about developing their employees, and the amount of time and resources Allstate has poured in my development is unmatched. I’ve also been able to work with many members of the senior leadership team. It makes me proud to work here and gives me so much hope with all of the changes going on in our industry.

Q: What work are you most proud of?

A: I am still pretty new to my role, but I am proud that I have gotten five out of eight licenses within three months. I have also been learning how hard recruiting is. It’s been so fun to talk about the small business opportunity to potential agents.

Q: What are your biggest motivators at work?

A: My goal is to become a successful FSL as quickly as possible, whether that is studying for my tests or recruiting agents. I am continuously motivated to keep learning so I can truly contribute to the success of my market and make a large impact.

Q: What are your favorite parts about your job, the team, and the workspace?

A: I love the way the regional offices operate. The region is more fast paced than typical corporate environment. It is a very tight knit and collaborative community all working towards the same goal. You will be set up for success in terms of professional success and development.

Q: What qualities do people need to be successful here?

A: It’s important to be a quick learner and someone who likes to learn. Agents ask for your help with everything, and the nature of the job is that you need to know a little bit about a lot of things to be able to support our agents. Additionally, time management is critical. Make sure you prioritize your time between phases and working with agents.

Q: Any advice for someone who is considering working at Allstate?

A: People usually think you need to have a typical sales persona, but there’s such a wide variety between how sales leaders run their own markets. My advice is to be authentic to your own leadership style. Bring your whole self to your role and you will have a lot of success.

This is also a role where there is so much potential to learn. I’ve learned so much in my three months in this role and I’ve worked at Allstate for three years prior to being an FSA. Regardless of where my career takes me I will be set up for success because of the amount of knowledge I’ve learned in this role.

Q: Outside of work what you can be found doing?

I love basketball, I spend a lot of my time mentoring and volunteering with local HS students and volunteering coaching basketball

Fun fact: I’ve played basketball with over 10 NBA players- my favorite was Manu Ginobili. He was my neighbor growing up in San Antonio.

PRIDE at Allstate

At Allstate, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) provide an open forum where employees with a shared interest aspire, develop and collaborate. Allstate supports and funds 11 ERGs, each with unique value propositions and goals.

During the month of June, PRIDE, Allstate’s LGBT+ ERG, hosts workshops and professional development events to help Allstaters build knowledge and expand resources. Jamie, national vice president of PRIDE, shared his goals for this year’s Pride Month activities.

“Our goal was for LGBT+ Allstaters to celebrate and feel visible, while also having conversations about where we still have work to do. We wanted to create space for people to be able to tell their stories. Storytelling has always been central to our community,and we want everyone to know that their story matters,” Jamie said.

Allstate hosted Toronto based non-profit, Rainbow Railroad, to share how they are supporting international LGBT+ individuals to escape persecution and violence. The event featured a personal story about the impact Rainbow Railroad had on one individual’s life, allowing employees to learn and potentially find new opportunities to give back.

PRIDE is not only focused on celebrating Pride Month, but making sure employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work year-round.

Zee, co-leader of PRIDE in Allstate’s Jacksonville office, established a safe zone lunch-and-learn event where any Allstaters can come together and ask questions or learn about a topic that might be new to them.

Zee shared that the Safe Zone lunch-and-learn is a mix of people who identify as LGBT+ and allies who can come together for a meaningful discussion and leave with more awareness of issues facing the LGBT+ community. PRIDE also hosts Ally training at various Allstate locations to create a culture of inclusivity.

“It’s great to see that people feel more open and they can be themselves at work” said Zee. “We also teamed up with the PRIDE chapter in Largo, Florida, and went to the Pride Parade together! I love that PRIDE at Allstate has been growing and allowed me to meet people across the country.”

Amy is a Licensed Sales Agent in the Extra Hands team in Pocatello, Idaho.

Q: When did you join Allstate?

A: I joined Allstate back in October 2012 as a Licensed Customer Service Representative where I helped with general policy questions. I then moved to Extra Hands where I helped increase agency capacity, while helping to grow their business. Today, I’m a Licensed Sales Agent in the Idaho Customer Contact Center (CCC).

Q: What are your current responsibilities as a Licensed Sales Agent in the Extra Hands team?

A: As a Licensed Sales Agent, I specialize in selling insurance policies and aiding customers in finishing online quotes. It requires a lot of on-the-spot knowledge and expertise, since I am licensed in all 50 states and every state is unique in their own way regarding laws and underwriting guidelines. I am responsible for providing the best coverage to our customers, while delivering the value of Allstate. Our core value is to educate our customers and help them understand the importance of insuring and protecting their best interests and assets.

Q: What made you decide to join the company?

A: I worked at a restaurant prior to joining Allstate. Most of my coworkers left to join Allstate and would come to visit me during their lunch. They always talked about how much they loved it and made it seem fun. At that point I was 22, needed a change in scenery, and decided it was time to enter the corporate world.

Q: What’s different about Allstate?

A: When I come into work every day, I don’t wake up and dread it. Allstate isn’t your typical job. Everyone can be themselves at the office which makes it seem as if we are hanging out with friends as opposed to a job.

Q: What work are you most proud of?

A: I have won multiple awards including top sales person in the Idaho CCC every year since I joined two years ago. I am hoping to make it a third this year! Due to these awards, I was also nominated to represent Allstate at an event for the Best Places to Work in Idaho. I am also involved in training new hires and sharing tips with them on how to be successful in their new careers.

Q: What values are important to you at a job? How do you experience those values here?

A: Having work-life balance, a good work environment and being able to work with a diverse group of people. I enjoy the generous PTO, which is unique seeing that I work in a 24/7 customer service center. Everyone seems happy to come to work and that happiness spreads. This benefits us as the employees and the customers.

Q: What are your favorite parts about your job, the team, and the workspace?

A: There is always an opportunity for advancement. It is up to me of where I want to stop. We constantly have friendly competitions in the office that helps us to push each other and continue to be better in order to advance further in our career.

Q: What qualities do people need to be successful here?

A: They need to be self-motivated, self-aware and have goals of where you want to be in life. It is important that they are a people-person. You must want to help people and yourself.

Q: Any advice for someone who is considering working at Allstate?

A: Have a plan, stand out and come in with a passionate winning attitude.

Q: Outside of work you can be found doing?

A: For the most part I can be seen spending time with my family and dogs. We bought our first home, so I enjoy gardening and making it my own. I am a family-person, so you can see me doing a lot of outdoor BBQ’s and hosting family gatherings.

Q: Fun fact:

I love tattoos! I have quite a few myself. It allows people to express their life and values as art in a way that everyone can see it. I have been skydiving half a dozen times, scuba diving, and I travel every year with my family.

TeVaun is a Licensed Customer Service Representative in our Customers Insights Lab in Charlotte, North Carolina. He’s currently doing a Talent Share as a Test Adherence Results (TAR) Coach in the Customer Insights Lab team.

Q: When did you join Allstate?

A: I joined Allstate in May 2015 as an Unlicensed Customer Service Representative and after two years, I became a Licensed Customer Service Representative. Shortly thereafter, an opportunity came up to join the Customer Insights Lab team.

Q: What is the Customer Insights Lab (CIL) team?

A: The Customers Insights Lab is a specialized test & learn team that sits within Customer Service and provides a ready-to-use infrastructure for executing tests and sharing insights with our agency and internal business partners. Insights are derived from a combination of both quantitative and qualitative results. We offer the opportunity to scale ideas and move them forward through the CCCs and agency owners.

Q: What’s different about this role from your previous Customer Service Representative roles?

A: Working in the lab is very similar to working as a Licensed Customer Service Representative on the Customer Service team. However, the major difference is that we have the ability to test a process and evaluate it, rather than just servicing customers via phone calls.

Q: What test & learns have you participated in?

A: The very first test I got to work on was a Drivewise test. We made calls to inactive users of Drivewise, to ask why they stopped using it and what could we do to make it better. We received a lot of insightful feedback and changes were proposed to enhance the experience and increase adoption.

Q: What is a Talent Share?

A: A Talent Share is a short-term development opportunity designed to provide employees access to short-term projects and developmental experiences outside your current role.

Q: What do you do in your Talent Share?

A: As a Test Adherence Results Coach, I can be found coaching employees about certain key elements to test in a test & learn, making sure they understand the purpose and goals behind a test, leading huddles, 1:1 coaching and/or listening to calls for quality control.

Q: What work are you most proud of?

A: Probably my current Talent Share. I wasn’t looking for a Talent Share, but my manager approached me about the opportunity. Since it’s a new role, I get to help build this role out with my own twist and provide feedback for it. I came to CIL to gain knowledge, and after being in this role for a few months, I know I want to pursue this full-time.

Q: What qualities does a person need to be successful here?

A: In the CIL, the main qualities a person should have are to be adaptable and patient. There are days you have to execute things a certain way and later they will change. Knowing and understanding that we won’t always do things a certain way, will help you in the long run.

Q: Any advice for someone who is considering working at Allstate?

A: Allstate can become a career. You have the ability to grow and continue to learn and move into new things. Don’t be scared to try new things. When I first got here I didn’t know anything about insurance, after a while, people come to me with insurance questions, and I can answer them.

Jennifer is an Unlicensed Customer Service Representative in our Customer Contact Center in Chubbuck, Idaho.

Q: When did you join Allstate?

A: I joined Allstate in 2017 as an Unlicensed Customer Service Representative. My two-year anniversary is coming up soon. Coming from a telecommunications company, the insurance industry is a very fast-paced environment. It feels like it was just a few months ago that I joined Allstate.

Q: What do you do in your current role?

A: As an Unlicensed Customer Service Representative, I’m responsible for handling customer inquiries, resolving concerns/documenting customer requests, and completing changes to policies which do not require a license. In other words, when a customer calls 1-800-ALLSTATE, the call comes to my team and I am the person who connects with customers by saying “Thank you for calling Allstate, this is Jennifer. May I ask who I have the pleasure of speaking with today?”

Q: What work are you most proud of?

A: My passion is taking care of customers and I’m proud of letting customers know they are in good hands. It’s fulfilling being able to help with customers’ concerns whether it’s why their bill is a certain amount to what happens if they don’t have their new insurance card.

Q: What values area important to you at a job? How do you experience them here?

A: A big thing is work-life balance. Allstate really tries to make sure employees are taken care of at work and outside of work through wellness programs to help them live a good life and pursue their personal purpose.

Q: What qualities make a person successful here?

A: Having a positive attitude, being motivated to go above and beyond in everything you do, and putting yourself in the customer’s shoes.

Q: Any advice for someone who is considering working at Allstate?

If you’re looking for a temporary job, this isn’t it. This is a life-long career with endless possibilities. I plan on retiring from Allstate.

Q: Outside of work you can be found?

A: In Idaho, winters can be rough, so I do a lot of cooking with friends and family. During the summer, you can find me on my boat fishing or working on my garden. Throughout the year, I enjoy volunteering at the local senior citizen center with my husband (who’s also an Allstater). Together this year, we volunteered over 16 hours and the center received a $1,000 Helping Hands grant.

Fun fact: I lived on a dairy farm until I was 18 and went off to college. Till this day, I still can’t drink grocery store milk because it doesn’t taste the same as fresh cow milk.

Effective July 1, 2014, under Indiana House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1242, it is against public policy of the State of Indiana and a discriminatory practice for an employer to discriminate against a prospective employee on the basis of status as a veteran by refusing to employ an applicant on the basis that they are a veteran of the armed forces of the United States, a member of the Indiana National Guard or a member of a reserve component.

To view the “EEO is the Law” poster click “here”. This poster provides information concerning the laws and procedures for filing complaints of violations of the laws with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

To view the FMLA poster, click “here”. This poster summarizing the major provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and telling employees how to file a complaint.

It is the Company’s policy to employ the best qualified individuals available for all jobs. Therefore, any discriminatory action taken on account of an employee’s ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual and reproductive health decision, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, race (include traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), religion (including religious dress), sex, or sexual orientation that adversely affects an employee's terms or conditions of employment is prohibited. This policy applies to all aspects of the employment relationship, including, but not limited to, hiring, training, salary administration, promotion, job assignment, benefits, discipline, and separation of employment.